


Something's Begun

by professionalyoungwoman



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Carnival, Fluff, Getting Together, Gift Fic, M/M, Meet-Cute, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, background Ned Fulmer/Ariel Fulmer, background Steven Lim/Andrew Ilnyckyj, guess were about to find out, how many cliches can you fit in one fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 18:44:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20376334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/professionalyoungwoman/pseuds/professionalyoungwoman
Summary: Shane smiled, that same bright look in his eyes, and raised his eyebrows in question. “A pre-planned route? Doesn't that, like, kind of take the fun out of it?”Ryan huffed, giving Shane a slightly long look of irritation. “Yeah, a pre-planned route. It’s guaranteed to get us through the night efficiently, while maximizing time spent on rides and minimizing time spent waiting in line. I've been coming here since I was a kid, trust me on this one.”***Ryan's got an age old tradition of going to the local Halloween carnival. His plans are totally disrupted in the best way possible by relative stranger, Shane Madej.





	Something's Begun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [abovetheruins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/abovetheruins/gifts).

> I'm so immensely proud of this big ol' bucket of fluff. Like. Wow. I'm crying.
> 
> Prompt from the super lovely @abovetheruins: "How about...the boys meeting at a carnival and hitting it off? Maybe they keep getting paired on rides cause they're single riders?" Also requested some haunted house and Ferris wheel action. I loved this prompt and feel there was so many ways I could've taken this so I hope you love this and much as I loved writing it! 
> 
> Side note - I'm American but haven't lived in the US in forever so if this is nothing like what carnivals are like in America I'm sorry lol
> 
> Also it turns out I literally can't write a fic without adding hella background story lmao 
> 
> Accepting and welcome to any and all prompts at my Tumblr @ professionalyoungwoman 
> 
> Enjoy! No beta so any and all mistakes are my own. Let me know what you think :)

If someone asked Ryan Bergara what his favorite holiday is, the answer would be far too easy. Without a doubt, no contest, it was Halloween.

Sure, there were plenty of great holidays throughout the year; Christmas was always amazing, especially with a family like his, the Fourth of July never failed to leave him with a smile on his face and a hangover that would last at least three days, and a guy like him with a bottomless stomach couldn't help but love Thanksgiving. Even St. Patrick's Day was a notably great day for Ryan each year. 

But none would or could ever compare to Halloween. 

There were many reasons for this - childhood memories of trick or treating, the abundance of horror movies that came out around Halloween each year, the general aura of spookiness that descended upon society. But what really sets Halloween apart from any other holiday ever, if Ryan is being real with himself, is Spooktober. 

Spooktober was a month long carnival that ran every year in his town since Ryan was a child. As far as he was concerned, it was the best carnival he had ever been to and would ever go to. When he was a kid, every year his parents would take him and his brother Jake the weekend before Halloween, just after they had gone costume shopping. This had solidified the carnival as an official Halloween tradition in Ryan's mind, and it was a tradition he carried on to this day. 

Now, as an adult, Ryan would go twice; once on opening weekend, when the feeling of excitement throughout the staff was so palpable you could taste it, and once on Halloween night, since he hadn't been going trick or treating for nearly a decade. As a way of carrying on the tradition and spreading the Halloween spirit, a couple years ago he had started bringing his friends with him to Spooktober, and he enforced a very strict and very serious group costume dress code. He would honor this by professionally printing and framing a group picture each year, and if anyone dared to break the dress code they were barred from being in the picture. 

One year Eugene had decided to strike out on his own, wearing his full drag queen garb that, while he admittedly looked amazing in, was decidedly not in line with that year’s superheroes theme. He bitched about not being in the picture every time he came over to Ryan's without fail since then (and also never tried going against group decorum ever again). 

Ryan knew it was a bit silly and a bit childish, especially considering they were some of the only adults that were ever in costume at the carnival, but the tradition really and truthfully made him so happy he barely cared. Every year, it would alight a childish glee in his chest that kept him warm throughout the cold October night, and his collection of framed photos were some of his most prized possessions. Like, would-run-back-into-his-house-for-them-in-the-event-of-a-fire level prized possessions. 

This is why Ryan was fucking epically bummed this year that nearly his entire friend group would be unable to make it to the carnival. Everyone had apologized to him personally about it five times over, and they all had completely legit reasons as to why they couldn't go, but it still hurt like a bitch to think about. It felt like a little piece of Ryan's childhood was dying, as irrational of a thought that was. 

The full ensemble usually comprised of Ryan himself, Eugene, Zach, Keith, Ned, Daysha, Jen, Maycie, Andrew, and Steven. Only Ned, Steven and Andrew were coming this year, and while their enthusiasm was boundless, Ryan couldn't help but wallow on the fact that it was such a select number in comparison to previous years. 

On the bright side, Ned and his wife Ariel (who usually always had her own plans on Halloween) had recently had a baby, so Ryan hardly saw Ned anymore, which he couldn't even blame Ned for (but the salty, hurt part of him that was buried very deeply beneath many layers of friendly support definitely did). Ryan was really looking forward to spending some quality time with Ned, and the smaller group would allow for more one on one time between them. Also, any event with Steven and Andrew was a guarantee for a good time, even if Ryan knew that they would predictably spend the majority of the night trying every single food stand. Ryan was personally much more invested in riding the roller coasters, but he knew he could count on Ned for that anyway. 

Overall, regardless of who was there, or what they were doing, Ryan knew he would have the best night. It was his favorite night of the year, at his favorite event of the year, with his favorite people. He couldn't go wrong. 

The day before Halloween, Ryan started to think that those might have been famous last words. 

His carefully crafted plans started to crash and burn around him when Ned called him early in the day on Saturday. Ryan could tell he was home from the distant sound of Wes crying, overlapping with Ariel’s calm and patient shushing and baby talk. “Hey Ryan! How’s it going?” 

“I'm doing pretty well, how about you?” Ryan juggled his phone between his ear and his shoulder, finishing up tying his shoes before heading out the door. He did the customary phone-wallet-keys pat down, panicking for a second when he felt the absence of his phone in his right pocket where it lived, before shaking his head at himself and raising his hand and grabbing his phone from the crook of his neck before it slid to the floor. 

“I'm doing good! Great even! Sooo, what are you up to today?” Ned's voice sounded even more nasally and stressed than normal, and Ryan furrowed his eyebrows slightly at his tone. 

“Nothing much, I'm just heading out to grab something last minute for my outfit for tomorrow.” This year Ryan had chosen a 50’s greaser theme as the group costume, as it was easy to pull off with a smaller group while still looking great, and it also fit his carnival aesthetic perfectly. 

“Yeah! That's great! Love the choice this year, buddy!” At this point, Ned's voice was pitching so high that Ryan barely recognized it, and his concern grew even more. “Speaking of tomorrow night, though…”

Ryan's stomach dropped straight out of his butthole, his heart stopping in a moment of pure panic. “Are you not coming?” He couldn't even attempt to keep the hurt out of his voice, even though he knew he would later feel bad for guilting Ned. Ryan knew that parenting was incomparably hard, especially for first time parents, but he perhaps selfishly thought that Ned knew how sacred this night was for Ryan. 

“What?! No, no, no, I'm coming! God, I'd never cancel on you like that!” Ryan felt his stomach unclench, and his realized his whole body had halted and tensed up where he had been walking down the stairs of his building to his car. He cautiously began walking again as Ned continued, “It's just, I was wondering if Ariel could come along. Someone from her Mommy & Me group offered to babysit, and she's always wanted to come but it's just never worked out before now. Plus, she's got this great outfit that just works so perfectly - spoiler alert, she's got a poodle skirt. It's great, really.” 

Ryan exhaled slowly, processing everything Ned was saying with a noticeable tightness in his belly. While Ryan loved Ariel, he really had been looking forward to spending some quality time with Ned, and he knew that if Ariel came then his time with Ned would be compromised. Additionally, Ryan was almost a hundred percent certain that Andrew and Steven were secretly dating, and he really didn't want to feel like a fifth wheel on his favorite night of the year. 

On the other hand, he knew he couldn't really say no without coming off as a total dick, especially considering he knew that Ariel was literally in the room with Ned. Also, Ryan knew that the time they got to spend with each other sans baby was limited. He answered with as little resignation as he could manage, “Yeah dude, don't worry about it! The more the merrier!” 

He could hear Ned let out an audible sigh of relief, and Ryan could just picture him shooting a silent but enthusiastic thumbs up to Ariel. “Awesome! Look, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night! We’ll see you then!” All the stress had bled out of Ned's voice, and Ryan couldn't help but smile to himself at Ned's excitement as they said their goodbyes and hung up. 

Climbing into his car, Ryan noticed Andrew had texted him while he had been on the phone. 

Andrew: hey man, can't wait for tomorrow! was wondering if we could bring a friend, hes kinda new in town and wants to see what spooktober is all about!

Ryan sighed heavily, resting his head on the steering wheel of his car for a moment. He was a bit of a control freak, especially with things he really cared about, and he felt like the whole situation was quickly slipping out of his control. Fuck it, he thought. 

Ryan: of course! no worries, dude

Andrew: nice

Andrew: and don't worry, hes already aware of the group costume and has promised to come in appropriate fashion ;) 

Ryan allowed himself a moment to bask in his sour mood at the sudden turn of events, before shaking his head and pushing his negative thoughts away. He started his car, pulling out of the parking lot and determinedly channeling his previous infallible excitement. It was his favorite day of the year, goddammit, and he was going to enjoy it if it killed him.

***

The next night, as Ryan was waiting outside his apartment for Ned and Ariel to pick him up, he couldn't deny that his previous negativity had washed away entirely. The ritual of getting dressed up in his costume had been as childishly thrilling as it always was, setting a mood of excited anticipation in him despite the simplicity of the outfit. Ryan had slicked his hair up and back with a healthy amount of gel, in lieu of his typical look which was much softer and more natural. He wore a plain white t-shirt, tucked tightly into pair of jeans that sat above his hips, and were cuffed at his ankles above a pair of white socks and Chuck Taylor’s. To top it all off, Ryan was wearing a leather bomber jacket that he'd had for years, well worn enough that it hugged the muscles in his back and biceps tightly. 

Checking himself out earlier in the mirror, Ryan couldn't deny that he thought he looked hot as fuck. Also, he had had a couple beers to take the edge off the anticipatory anxiety that had been building in his stomach since his phone call with Ned yesterday, and the drinks had certainly also helped with his confidence. Overall, it was hard to hold onto any of yesterday's sourness when he was feeling so good about himself, and feeling so excited for tonight. 

Ned and Ariel’s car finally pulled up in front of his apartment, and he waved them down, bouncing on the balls of his feet before practically throwing himself into the back seat. 

“Hey, man! Happy Halloween!” Ned said by way of greeting, both him and Ariel turning in their seats to grin back at Ryan. 

“Happy Halloween! You guys look amazing!” Ned hadn't been kidding when he had said Ariel had the perfect outfit; she was wearing a red ascot, a white top that tucked neatly into a red poodle skirt, and had also taken the time to curl her hair into perfect waves, with red lipstick to boot. Ned’shair was done similarly to Ryan's, but he had foregone the greaser look Ryan went with in favor of a red and white varsity cardigan and a soft looking pair of jeans, and together they honestly looked like the perfect little 50’s couple. Ryan was more than pleased. 

During the short drive over, they eagerly chatted about the night ahead of them. Ariel had never been before, and she told Ryan that every year, Ned came home raving about how amazing the carnival was. 

Ryan grinned at her, reaching forward to gently tug on Ned's ear as he drove, grinning as he said, “It's less about the carnival itself and more about the friends you experience it with.” Ned waved him away with a hand, feigning irritation but smiling into the rear view mirror. Ryan chuckled, continuing, “No, but really, the carnival is pretty amazing. Every year the rides are bigger and better, and they have a haunted maze that has almost made me actually poop my pants at least three times.” 

Ariel gave him a sweet grin, her eyes warm and friendly in the genuine way they always were. “Who else did you say was coming?” 

“Steven and Andrew. Oh, and they said they were bringing a friend of theirs. I think a coworker or something?” At this point they were pulling into the gravel parking lot that lay outside of the fair grounds, and Ryan scanned the parking lot for any familiar cars. From a distance, he saw Steven’s tall frame waving them down, and as they pulled closer, Ryan's eyes widened comically. “Speak of the fucking devil…”

Steven had outdone himself this time. Not only had he and Andrew come dressed to the T in perfect era appropriate outfits, but Steven had seemingly rented an actual fucking T-bird. Ryan just knew it must've been Steven who had done it, based on past antics that had clearly showcased his propensity for balling out on anything and everything he could. Ryan knew he was bougie, but this was a whole other level.

Ryan scrambled out of the car, knowing the look on his face was completely dumbstruck but not able to do anything to hide it. Steven and Andrew cackled, high-fiving and practically yelling an excited, “Worth it!” to each other. 

“What the actual fuck. This is literally the most amazing thing I've ever seen.” Ryan was completely shocked, and he couldn't even begin to restrain the awe in his voice. 

“Surprise! I've been planning this for weeks now, you don't even know how hard it was to keep this a secret from you. You also don't know how hard it was to find someone willing to rent to two young delinquents, but that's besides the point.” Steven walked forward, cheekily reaching out with one hand to push Ryan's jaw closed, using the other to clap him on the shoulder and pull him into a half hug. 

Andrew walked up, a wide smile on his normally stoic face, murmuring a quiet “Happy Halloween, buddy,” as he embraced Ryan from the side that Steven wasn't on. “By the way, this is our coworker Shane.” 

In his nearly blinding moment of exhilaration, Ryan had completely skimmed over the fact that there was a very tall and very striking man who had been standing with Steven and Andrew. The man - Shane, apparently, was wearing a black t-shirt, rolled at the sleeves to show off the smooth expanse of his long, bare arms, and it was tucked into a slightly high waisted pair of black jeans that, even while being cuffed, ultimately made his legs look about eight feet long. His hair was styled perfectly, gelled down heavily at the sides but voluminous at the top, and one strand had been brought down and gelled into a curl which sat perfectly on his forehead. Shane was even chewing on a toothpick, and Ryan felt himself flush lightly. 

Ryan gulped, suddenly very aware of himself and very aware of how much of an idiot he must of made himself look like when he had gotten out of the car earlier. He held out a clammy hand to Shane, tearing his eyes away from those long, long legs as he forced himself to make eye contact. “Nice to meet you, Shane.”

Shane smirked down at him, taking the toothpick out of his mouth and flicking it to the ground, lazily taking Ryan's hand as a wide smirk spread like molasses over his face. “Tell me about it, stud.” He delivered the line with an over-exaggerated wink, which was simultaneously irritating and sexy. 

Ryan groaned, quickly withdrawing his hand and bringing it to his temple in a move that clearly showed how stressed out he was. “Wow, you are absolutely insufferable.” 

Shane just laughed brightly, his dark eyes filled with a mischievous spark. He quickly greeted Ned and Ariel, and after snapping a few quick pics with the car, the group set off into the carnival. 

Being the control freak, passhole, and seasoned Spooktober veteran that he was, Ryan began leading the group towards the first ride of the night. Ned, Steven and Andrew shared a look, knowing to follow behind Ryan without argument. Ariel, being the angel she was, didn't question Ryan either, appearing content to hold Ned's hand and marvel at the spectacle of the carnival as they walked along. 

Shane, on the other hand, clearly was not following the same train of thought as Ariel, and he used his long legs to quickly catch up to Ryan. 

“So, where exactly are we going?” 

Ryan only spared him a short sideways glance, trying to keep his eyes forward to avoid running into the thickening crowd of people around them. “I have a pre-planned route that we take every year. We're going to the first ride now.” 

Shane smiled, that same bright look in his eyes, and raised his eyebrows in question. “A pre-planned route? Doesn't that, like, kind of take the fun out of it?” 

Ryan huffed, giving Shane a slightly longer look of irritation that was more directed at how easily he weaved his way through the crowd than at his words. Being tall definitely had its perks in that regard. “Yeah, a pre-planned route. It’s guaranteed to get us through the night efficiently, while maximizing time spent on rides and minimizing time spent waiting in line. I've been coming here since I was a kid, trust me on this one.” 

Shane tilted his head in compliance, holding a hand out in a “right after you, then” gesture that made Ryan smile up at him. By this point, they were at their first ride, and as Spooktober was the kind of carnival where one paid for each ride individually, they all lined up to pay before quickly going to board the ride. It was the Tilt-A-Whirl; Ryan chose this one as the first because it was one of his personal favorites, and was also heaps of fun while not being too scary, so it was a guaranteed way to start the night off right and get their adrenaline flowing. 

As it was the beginning of the night and the crowds weren't too thick yet, they all managed to board at the same time, filing neatly into the two-man carriages. Ryan was unsurprised to find himself sitting with Shane; he figured early on that they'd be spending a lot of time together on rides as it was inevitable that Ned and Ariel and Steven and Andrew would want to spend the majority of the night with their respective partners (even though Steven and Andrew still hadn't copped to the fact that they were very obviously dating). 

Lowering the lap bar and settling himself in, Ryan couldn't help but notice that Shane's eight foot long legs were looking a bit cramped within the carriage, and he laughed brightly. “Sorry, I didn't anticipate you being as tall as you are. They don't really make these rides with Sasquatches in mind.” 

Shane sent him a weary look, shifting under the lap bar. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yuck it up, Ryan. I'm surprised you're actually tall enough to ride these rides. How often do they stop you and make sure you measure up to the minimum height requirements?”

Ryan spluttered, laughing, and just as he was about to respond that he was a perfectly average height, thank you very much, the ride jerked into motion, snatching his words and his breath right out of his mouth. 

The Tilt-A-Whirl was just as fun as it always is. Shane and Ryan were laughing raucously the entire time, reveling in the brief moments where their carriage flew by one of their friends’, catching fleeting glimpses of their exhilaration reflected on their friends’ faces. As the ride slowed down, Ryan still laughing exuberantly, he looked over to Shane, only to find he was already looking back at Ryan. They grinned at each other, the still spinning ride isolating them within the moment. 

The group disembarked the ride on wobbly legs, regrouping at the front of the ride with grins across all of their faces as Ryan directed them towards their next ride. Between each of the rides, Shane would walk beside Ryan, asking him various questions about the carnival and Ryan's route, and they bantered back and forth with a comfort that Ryan rarely found in people that he just met. 

At this point in the night, they had ridden a few roller coasts, and stopped once or twice for drinks or snacks whenever someone in the group requested. The entire time, Shane kept up a steady line of conversation with Ryan. They talked about a myriad of subjects, from Ryan's love for Halloween, why it was a tradition for him to come to Spooktober, where Shane was from, and how he knew Steven and Andrew. This all definitely did not go unnoticed by Ned, Ariel, Steven, and Andrew. As they went to board the next ride, the Scrambler, Ryan caught the four of them sharing a Significant Look, and only had a brief moment to worry about what that could possibly mean before Shane distracted him again, asking Ryan which carriage he wanted to sit in. 

This ride was called the Scrambler, and while it wasn't one of Ryan’s top rides, it was still a carnival classic that couldn't be missed, despite the fact that it always made Ryan feel the slightest bit woozy. Again, he and Shane sat with each other in a two-persona carriage, and halfway through the ride, Shane, without warning, gripped Ryan’s hand tightly. Ryan squeezed back and laughed with the kind of carefreeness that always accompanied thrill rides, and only turned to look at him questioningly once the ride had started to slow. 

Shane smiled apologetically, sheepishly squeezing at Ryan's hand again. “Sorry, this one always makes me feel a bit dizzy.” 

Ryan didn't know if it was the ride or the hand holding, but he felt something close to butterflies in his stomach as he gazed slightly cross eyed back at Shane. “No worries, man,” he said, grinning and slowly letting go of Shane's hand once the ride attendant had been by to release the lap bar and the dizziness behind Ryan's eyes had faded. They moved to get off, smiling shyly at each other as they exited the ride. 

The warm feeling that had settled over Ryan very quickly dissipated as he realized two things: one, that Ned, Ariel, Steven, and Andrew were literally nowhere to be found; and two, that look that they had shared before the ride seemed to have been some kind of cue to make their move to split off from the main group and go their separate ways to enjoy the rest of the night as a date night. Ryan spun around in a sudden panic, frantically searching, as the sour, gut-churning feeling he'd had from the day before while speaking on the phone to Ned returned with a vengeance. 

Shane gripped his elbow, looking down in mild concern. “Hey, do you see the guys anywhere?” 

Ryan shook his head, trying to will the panic in his gut and the tears behind his eyes away. “I think they've ditched me.” Shane immediately noticed the distressed tone of Ryan's voice, and used the hold on his elbow to pull Ryan away from the crowd and to a slightly less crowded spot a few feet away. 

“Hey, what's wrong?” 

Ryan took a deep breath before answering, looking down at the ground between Shane's body and his own instead of facing his worried face. “Nothing, nothing, just, um...I mean, you can probably tell from the way that I've gone on about this whole thing that tonight is really important to me, and usually there's loads of my friends that come in a big group every year but, obviously there weren't very many that came this year, which is fine but also kind of sucks. And like, I was really looking forward to spending time with Ned cause he just had this baby but, like, he clearly wants to spend time with Ariel when there's not a screaming child around so he's totally justified but, uh, I guess I just really wanted tonight to be like it is every year.” 

Ryan stops rambling and finally lifts his gaze to meet Shane's eyes, and he hates the look of concern he sees there, although he distantly appreciates that there's no trace of pity in his expression. “I guess it's kind of dumb, it's just, yeah, really important to me. It's probably a bit childish, but…” 

Shane leans closer, raising his other hand so that they're both gripping Ryan's elbows. “Hey, it's not dumb at all. You said that you've been coming here since you were a kid, it's valid that you'd feel upset about breaking or changing a tradition that's clearly so special for you. Whether or not it's justified that Ned and Ariel want alone time, it's still shitty for them to ditch you, especially if Ned knows this is important for you. Don't feel stupid for feeling your completely valid feelings.” 

Shane punctuates this with a firm squeeze of Ryan's elbows, and holds his gaze with a soft smile until Ryan returns it with a small smile of his own. “Also, Steven and Andrew splitting to go canoodle is literally not a surprise at all. They do it all the time at work, hardly anything ever gets done. The worst of it is that they think they're slick when just about everyone has caught them giving each other a tongue bath. It's pretty gross, really, and probably like, a major health code violation.” 

At this, Ryan cracks a giant smile, shaking his head and laughing brightly, feeling the worst of his anxiety slipping away. “I knew those two were dating. They're about the least subtle people on the planet.” 

Shane nods his head in fond agreement, releasing Ryan's elbows in favor of casually swinging an arm around his shoulders, leading them away from the Scrambler. “And hey, look on the bright side! This is the first time I've ever been to Spooktober, and you're clearly a professional Spookologist. Give me the full tour, baby, I'm all yours! I wanna see what this puppy’s all about.” 

Ryan cackles, the last of his anxiety slipping away and a hint of the butterflies he felt earlier returning as he knocks his elbow into Shane's ribs, guiding them in the direction of the next ride. “I don't think you know quite what you're asking. You're about to get the full Ryan Bergara experience, big guy, and spoiler alert: the haunted maze at the end makes me nearly pee myself every time.”

“Wow, you know just what to say to charm a guy, don't you?” At this, Shane clutches at his chest like a damsel, batting his eyelashes and gazing with mock amazement in his eyes at Ryan. 

The night carries on similar to before; Shane and Ryan ride each and every ride in the whole carnival, the entire time grinning at each other, laughing harder and screaming louder than anyone else around them. Sometimes Shane grabs at Ryan’s hand through the most adrenaline-filled parts of the roller coasters, and sometimes Ryan grabs at Shane's hand, not because he's scared, but just because he can. 

Between rides, they stop for food (the kind only available at fairs, like cotton candy the size of Shane's enormous head, or hot dogs that are two feet long) and games (the kind that everyone knows are a complete scam but you waste money playing anyway). Surprisingly, at one point in the night, Shane actually managed to win one of the rigged games, and he carefully selects a small plush bear, presenting it to Ryan with a dramatic flourish. 

“Consider this thanks for giving me the grand tour,” he says, and Ryan knows his cheeks are on fire and his affectionate smile is uncontrollable as he gently takes the bear, cuddling it to his chest and quietly thanking Shane in a voice he knows sounds besotted. 

Throughout the night, Ryan has such a fun time leading them through Spooktober in its full glory that he almost totally forgets about the horrors awaiting them in the haunted maze until he's lead them right into its entrance. The maze is one of the few attractions that are free to enter within the carnival, so they only thing between Ryan and his embarrassingly terrifying fate are a few feet and his own reluctance. 

“So uh, I'm thinking you should take the lead on this one. They change the maze every year so I don't have a route to navigate through it,” Ryan looks nervously up at Shane, unconsciously clutching the bear to his chest. 

“Aw, come on, Bergara, it can't be that scary! I won't let the ghoulies hurt ya,” Shane winks at him, unceremoniously grabbing Ryan’s hand and charging into the maze. 

The next thirty minutes of Ryan's life are probably the most horrifying and embarrassing moments he's ever endured. 

Every year, the owners of Spooktober endeavor to make the maze more and more terrifying, and this year is no exception to that rule. Without fail, every single time they're chased by some macabre, headless scarecrow or bloodied chainsaw wielder, Ryan nearly trips himself trying to run away as quickly as possible. It doesn't help that each jump scare pushes him closer and closer into Shane's space, and they're basically so tangled up they can barely maneuver. Shane keeps trying to gently untangle them into something manageable, but Ryan just keeps pressing in, too terrified to care. Shane also keeps trying to lighten the mood with laughter and jokes at the antics of the actors, and while Ryan would banter back in any other circumstance, all he can manage now is looking up at Shane with wide eyes and chipmunk cheeks. Ryan's butthole honestly has never been clenched so tightly for so long, and his hands are so clammy he's surprised he's able to grip at Shane's hand at all.

By the time they get out of the maze, Ryan genuinely thinks he might have started crying at some point, and the only thing keeping him from straight up sitting on the ground outside the exit of the maze is Shane's arm around his waist. 

“Dude, I think I actually fucking blacked out at some point in there.” Ryan's still looking at Shane with what he knows are the biggest eyes maybe ever, and Shane throws his head back in laughter, a delighted mirth in his eyes. “How long were we in there for?” 

“Eh, about half an hour, give or take.” Shane's grinning at Ryan, and there's something a hair too devious in his grin.

“Wait a second, it only takes like, 15 minutes max to get through! They guarantee that every year, and I've done this enough to know that's true!” Shane starts laughing uncontrollably, basically making no sound spare a few wheezes, clutching his hand to his stomach. Ryan blanches, exclaiming, “Hold up, did you intentionally keep us in there for longer just to scare the shit out of me?”

Shane finally regains some composure, his laughter trailing off as he answers, “I'm sorry, I just couldn't pass up on the opportunity. You were so out of it, we passed by the exit like, three times. I kept thinking you would notice, and then you just didn't.” 

Now that he has something other than his pounding heart rate to focus on, Ryan finally regains control of his breathing, swinging out and hitting Shane in the arm. “Not cool, man! I thought I was gonna die in there!” 

“I'm sorry, really. It was just too good. Like, genuinely, you were so scared that at one point we saw Andrew and Steven in there, and when they tried to catch up to us, you got so scared you shrieked in Steven’s face and fell over trying to get away.” 

As embarrassing as that is, Ryan can't help but to crack a genuine smile at that, confident enough in himself and comfortable enough with Shane to laugh at his own misfortune. He locks eyes with Shane as they chuckle, and Ryan feels his heart clench momentarily, and he really hopes he isn't reading the situation wrong, cause he's had more fun tonight than he's had on any first date he's had in the last few months. 

Shane grabs hold of Ryan's hand again, tugging him along to the next thing. The only thing left to do in the carnival was the Ferris wheel, which Ryan always saved for last for two reasons; the first being that it was a slow ride that always calmed him after the excitement of the haunted maze, and the second being that the later in the night you went, the more city lights you could see from the highest point of the wheel. “Come on, I'll buy your ticket to the Ferris wheel to make up for it.” 

Ryan was happy to let Shane pull him along, and as Shane stopped by the entry stand to pay for the tickets, Ryan went ahead to sit in the awaiting carriage that sat at the lowest point in the wheel. He was only waiting for a moment before Shane was folding his long frame alongside Ryan's, his legs far too long to fit comfortably. As he tried to adjust himself, the wheel started moving backwards to let the next couple load, and this combined with Shane's struggles rocked the carriage more than it probably should rock. Ryan huffed, amused at Shane's antics, and intervened, pulling Shane close and tucking himself under the taller man's arm, forcing him into a position that would be comfortable for the both of them and allowed Shane the most leg room possible. 

“Honestly, I can't take you anywhere with those bone stilts you call legs. When you decided to leave the comforts of your Sasquatch family did you not consider that the world wasn't ready for you?”

Instead of the quick witted reply about Ryan’s small stature that he was anticipating, Shane just laughed softly and pulled Ryan impossibly closer, saying lowly in his ear, “I'm sure there's a lot of places you could take me, Ry-guy.” 

Ryan's breath caught in his throat, and he turned to look Shane in the eye. Just as he turned, the steady movement of the Ferris wheel slowed to a halt as their carriage reached the top, and Ryan momentarily broke the intense eye contact between them to look around. “Why have we stopped?”

Shane shrugged, and said, casual as he'd been the entire night, “I may have paid the guy a little something extra to give us some extra time at the top.” 

Ryan takes in the beautiful view around him. The Ferris wheel is tall enough that it gives an amazing view of the carnival stretched out below them, and beyond that, the city is bright with lights. It's quiet up here, but the sound of rides, games, and merriment is a low background noise that washes over Ryan. He wishes he could take a sound print and capture this moment forever. After only a brief moment of taking it all in, he turns to look at Shane, only to find that Shane is already looking at him. 

“It's beautiful up here,” Ryan says faintly, unconsciously leaning in closer to the warmth of Shane.

“Yeah, it is,” Shane's voice is hardly above a whisper, and the way his eyes are locked on Ryan makes him think that he's not talking about the view from the top of the Ferris wheel. Shane starts to lean in, slow enough that Ryan has time to pull away if he wanted, but instead Ryan leans in to meet him halfway, tilting his head as their lips meet in a perfect, soft kiss. Ryan can feel the scratchiness of Shane's stubble against his face, can feel the softness of his lips, the gentle but firm pressure of his lips as they kiss. 

Ryan knows it might just be the most cliché thing to ever happen to him, but it's honestly the perfect kiss, and the perfect end to a perfect night. Shane's hand lifts to cup his cheek, deepening the kiss just slightly, not enough to make it dirty but enough to send a thrill through Ryan. He vaguely registers that the Ferris wheel has started moving again, and that the little bubble they created will soon be broken, but he lets himself enjoy it for a second longer. 

Finally, Shane pulls back, leans their foreheads together so they're still breathing each other's air. He grins, wide and unabashed, and presses another quick smooch to Ryan’s smile. “If it wasn't obvious, I had a really nice time tonight. Let's do this again sometime.” 

Ryan's still a bit dazed from how lovely the kiss was, still short of breath from how close they still are, and says, confused, “But it's the last night of the carnival?” 

Shane leans back slightly, just enough so that Ryan can clearly see him roll his eyes. He pulls the hand that was cupping Ryan's cheek away to gesture between the two of them, and Ryan acutely feels every square inch of skin that Shane used to be touching. “It's too bad your brains are in your biceps. I meant this, us. We should do this again.” 

Ryan grins, and doesn't stop himself from curling a hand into the front of Shane’s shirt, pulling him into another kiss. When they get to the bottom of the Ferris wheel, he calls out to the operator that they're gonna go around again, and let's himself sink into Shane’s warmth. 

***

Later, Ryan prints out and frames two pictures from this year's Spooktober. One of the pictures is of the whole group, posing with the T-bird, their costumes perfectly suited to the car. The second one, Ryan’s favorite, is of just him and Shane, standing in front of the Ferris wheel. Shane's arms is around his shoulder, and he's beaming into the camera, while one of Ryan’s arms is wrapped around Shane's waist, the other cradling the teddy bear, and Ryan is looking up at Shane with an incomprehensibly bright smile on his face. Ryan sets the two photos on the shelf, alongside all the photos from previous years. He sets the teddy bear next to the second photo, a soft smile on his face, before turning and heading out the door to go meet Shane.


End file.
